Last month, it was revealed that after weeks of speculation (especially after Warner Bros. upset quite a few filmmakers by releasing blockbusters day-and-date in theaters and HBO Max), Christopher Nolan is leaving behind his years-long WB relationship and taking his next, untitled film to Universal. Shortly after, it was reported that Universal had to acquiesce to quite a few demands from Nolan, including a 100-day exclusive theatrical release window for his upcoming film, which is set to arrive in 2023 or 2024. Well, according to the chairperson of Universal, the studio is perfectly okay with meeting the demands of Nolan.
Speaking at a recent media conference (via Deadline), Universal executive Donna Langley discussed what it took to bring Christopher Nolan to her studio. Langley also explained that just because Nolan is getting the 100-day theatrical window doesn’t mean other filmmakers at Universal should expect the same treatment.
“Look, Chris has a precedent at Warner Bros. in the 20 years he was making movies there and he was very clear with, I think, everybody that he spoke with that that was something he was looking to do and so I think that was a sort of point of entry,” explained Langley about the lengthy exclusive theatrical window. “We are happy to accommodate it.”
Of course, the executive isn’t holding back about every other non-Nolan film the studio is working on, readily admitting Universal is “training consumers to expect movies earlier” and that the industry analysis points to shorter theatrical windows being the way to go. Langley said that the shorter window “just makes practical sense” since box office returns dip greatly after the first few weeks in theaters.
Obviously, other studios are on the same page, with most of them looking at the new 45-day theatrical window being the new normal. That said, Universal is also doing day-and-date for “Halloween Kills,” releasing the highly-anticipated horror sequel in theaters and on Peacock simultaneously. But according to Langley, this isn’t a strategy that will happen often.
“We have done a couple of day-and-date [releases], we are about to put ‘Halloween [Kills]’ onto the platform and in theaters at the same time,” Langley said. “I don’t think we are going to do much stunting like that. I think it’s going to be more about us making originals for [Peacock] going forward.”
So, long story short, unless your name is Christopher Nolan, don’t expect Universal to keep your film in theaters for very long, if at all. But hey, that’s just the way of the world in 2021.